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Great Divide
The Great Divide was a canyon that divided the lands of Torlynn, south of Castle Torlynn but north of Darkholm. It spanned many miles in length, with its eastern point spanned to the Swordedge Mountains and its westernmost end extended nearly to the Phoenix River, making travel between the two parts of the country extremely difficult. A single rope bridge was constructed to span the Divide, but by the 3800's it had fallen into disrepair and was not a practical means by which to cross the gap. It is said that the Great Divide was created when the gods became angry, splitting the Earth as punishment for those down below. The reasons for this anger vary depending upon which culture is telling the story. The butterfly people believe it was because a butterfly prince fell in love with a moth princess. The moth version of the story is essentially in agreement with this, though their version stresses the poor decisions of the butterfly prince who had dared to defy the rules. The story, as related by the Flightless One, notes that the two lovers in fact had a child, and that it was this butterfly-moth hybrid that enraged the gods. Another theory is that beings discovered a device similar to the World-Breaker and unleashed its dark power, creating the Divide. Many butterfly people were lost in the chasm as it opened. Following this, it was agreed that the butterflies should disperse into multiple colonies to prevent the possibility of another disaster causing their extinction. The ancestors of the moth people, meanwhile, who were effectively cut off from the Darklands, were forced to relocate to the Golden Desert where, over time, they adapted to the radically different environment and alternate food sources. The butterflies who fell into the chasm were presumed to be killed, but an impromptu excursion into the depths of the Great Divide by "Four" Wheeler in 3889 revealed that they had survived, evolving into an offshoot race of bee people to adapt to conditions at the bottom of the chasm. The Quest for the World-Breaker While traveling the countryside in 3889, Four and Syxx elected to cross the Great Divide, a more expedient method of travel than attempting to go around it. Talla Unica later attempted to dive into the ravine, necessitating a rescue by Syxx. After the rope bridge was cut by Brian Devonhyre, Four fell into the crevice and discovered the heretofore undiscovered race of bee people. He was subsequently rescued from the rift by Mirabel aboard Xanthippe. Alternate Reality At one point, an alternate version of Four, using the fate-shifter, attempted to erase the existence of the moths by undoing the events that led to the creation of the Great Divide. In this new unfolding of events, the moth race never came into being, but Mariposa was never born. Behind the Scenes The Great Divide was mentioned once in passing in A Butterfly's Tale, but did not feature prominently until The Quest for the World-Breaker. Despite the lore surrounding its creation by gods, it seems far more likely it was created during the Cataclysm by the detonation of a nuclear device similar to the World-Breaker. This is confirmed by the alternate Four in The Curse of the Fate Shifter, who refers to a World-Breaker sized weapon as the cause. Category:Places Category:Old Age Artifacts